Hasbro signs Hollywood vet for movie efforts
By Staff -- Playthings, 5/13/2008 9:12:00 AM
PAWTUCKET, R.I.—Hasbro has tapped movie industry veteran Bennett Schneir to fill the newly-created position of Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Motion Pictures.
Based in Los Angeles, Schneir will serve as Hasbro’s lead creative executive for feature films. He will work closely with Lisa Licht, who joined Hasbro earlier this year as General Manager of Entertainment and Licensing with responsibility for further strengthening and developing Hasbro’s opportunities within the entertainment industry, while building and growing Hasbro’s licensing programs worldwide.
“Mr. Schneir is an incredibly talented industry veteran who will collaborate directly with filmmakers and writers to create extraordinary motion pictures,” said John Frascotti, Hasbro’s global chief marketing officer. “Together, Lisa and Bennett will help elevate Hasbro to a whole new level in the entertainment industry.”
Schneir comes to Hasbro from filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’ production company, ImageMovers, where he worked on a number of major motion pictures, including What Lies Beneath, Cast Away, The Polar Express, Monster House and Beowulf. In his most recent role as ImageMovers Digital’s VP of creative affairs, he oversaw all of the company’s creative development and worked on many Disney-related projects as part of ImageMovers’ 10-year deal with The Walt Disney Company to produce Disney-branded motion pictures. He began his career at Creative Artists Agency.
Hasbro recently inked a six-year strategic partnership with Universal Pictures to produce at least four movies based on Hasbro brands.
